Honduran and international allies issue statement denouncing Honduras’ return to ICSID
Today, Honduran and international civil society organizations that defend individual and collective human rights released a pronouncement entitled: “Statement in Defense of Sovereignty and Collective Rights in Honduras – Returning to ICSID is a sign of Nasry Asfura’s submission to transnational capital.” The document firmly rejects the new Honduran government’s decision to rejoin the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID).
The statement, signed by 57 Honduran and international civil society organizations, warns that returning to this international arbitration tribunal poses a serious threat to national sovereignty, collective rights, and the Honduran state’s ability to make decisions in favor of the public interest, the environment, and affected peoples.
Signatories of the statement recall that Honduras announced its withdrawal from the ICSID Convention in February 2024 in response to the growing number of multimillion-dollar claims that transnational corporations were filing against Honduras. The country currently faces 14 international lawsuits with claims amounting to $9.895 billion, a figure equivalent to almost a quarter of the national GDP. More than a technical formality or assurance of greater legal certainty for investors, the document states that the return to ICSID is “a sign of the government’s subservience to transnational capital.”
The statement emphasizes that ICSID is one pillar of the Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) system, a mechanism that allows transnational investors to sue states when measures are taken that they believe affect their investment value. It has been shown to be detrimental to government regulatory powers and to communities affected by extractive megaprojects. A number of investments underlying claims against Honduras have involved land dispossession, environmental conflicts, criminalization of protest, and violence against rights defenders. The statement further questions the official argument that rejoining ICSID will attract foreign investment, noting that countries such as Brazil—one of the main recipients of investment in the region—have never subscribed to this mechanism.
The statement also warns that returning to ICSID could signal the expansion of extractive projects that communities oppose, as well as the relaunch of Employment and Economic Development Zones (ZEDE), and the strengthening of legal frameworks to privilege private actors over social and environmental rights. For these reasons, the organizations call on the Honduran Congress to open a broad public debate with the participation of civil society before approving any attempt to reincorporate Honduras into ICSID.
“Sovereignty, social justice, and environmental protection cannot be subordinated to international tribunals that protect corporate interests. The Honduran people have the right to decide their own future,” the document concludes.
The full statement is available for consultation and free dissemination:
Press contact in Honduras: karen@hondurassol.org (Honduras Solidarity Network)
